Folding bucket



S. OBLINGER.

FOLDING BUCKET (ModeL) No. 248,783. Patented Oct. 25,1881.

N. PETERS. Fluuhrlli'mgm llur. Wnshington. ov c.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

SOLOMON OBLlNGER, OF TROY, OHIO.

FOLDING BUCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,783, dated October 25, 1881. Application filed September 24, 1881. (Model) To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, SoLoMoN OBLINGER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Troy, in the county of Miami and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Buckets, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The drawings illustrate a bucket embodying my invention, Figure 1 representing the bucket in an unfolded, open, or distended condition, and Fig. 2 representing the same in a folded, closed, or condensed condition.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in both figures.

My invention relates to that class of buckets which have flexible bodies attached to hinged hoops, whereby they are adapted to be folded, so as to occupy less space than when in their distended condition; and my invention consists in certain devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the body of the bucket, which in this instance comprises several side sections, a, stitched to each other and to a bottom section, as is usual in this class of inventions. The body may, if desired, be made of molded rubber without scams, or of cloth, leather, or any well-known and suitable fabric stitched or cemented or riveted at the seams, and it may or may not, as desired, be provided with a strap or handle, a, secured to the bottom section. The body is attached to the hoop by being folded over the hoop and against itself, where a line of stitches is formed, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 at o The hoop is composed of wire formed in two sections, 13 B, each being of one piece, and provided, by properly coiling and bending the wire, with terminal eyes I) I) b b, an intermediate ear, b I), and an extension so formed as to operate as a check or stop, 11 b respectively-that is to say, section B has terminal eyes I) b, ear b and extension or stop 71 while section B has terminal eyes Z) 1), car b and stop b Itis evident that, if desired, the hoop-sections may be made of band or hoop iron instead of wire.

The sections arcjoiued by means of a rivet, d, passing through the eyes, and headed or upset against a washer, d, thus constituting a hinge. Each of the stops b b is formed to run parallel with the opposite section when open, and to pass over itin hook form, so that, the sections B and B being connected at the hinge with the stop of each section pointing in opposite directions, the result is that the hoop is adapted, when open, to fold only downwardly. The bail O is also made of one piece of wire bent to form a book, 0, having a stoploop, 0, at one end, and a hook, 0 at the other end, where the wire is continued parallel to the bail proper, and is finally coiled about it at 0 to form an elongated curved slot, 0 The ear b being flattened, the stop-loop c prevents the escape of book 0 from the ear while the bail is at a right angle to the hoop-section B.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Taking the bucket open, as shown at Fig. 1, to close the same the bail (l is turned down in either direction until it lies parallel with the hoop. In this position stop-loop c is readily passed through ear I)", when the sections of the hoop are depressed,'and by moving the bail at its slotted end through the ear 1/ one-quarter of acircle the bucket is folded and assumes the condition shown in Fig. 2. A substantial reversal of these movements opens the bucket.

It will be readily seen that the weight of the contents of the bucket, supported by the bail attached midway between thehinges and stops, tends to stiffen or render the sections more firm as said weight is increased.

If desired, loops (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1) may be formed in the bail, to serve as means of the attachment or supportby straps of the bucket to fences, posts, or the heads of animals when used as a feed nozzle or bucket. Although designedly described as a feed or water bucket, the adaptability of the construction shown to folding boxes, crates, and has kets will be readily perceived.

Having described my invention and its operation, what I claim as new, and desire to se cure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a folding bucket, a hoop formed of wire in two sections, each provided with eyes, an

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flexible body, a sectional hoop, each section of [5 which has a check or stop, and a slotted bail, the latter provided with a stop to prevent; the release of one of the terminal hooks of the bail when it is in service as a bail, and a flattened ear to allow the release of said hook when the bail is not in service, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have atfixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SOLOMON OBLINGER. Witnesses:

O. N. BURNs, N. J. CLYDE. 

